The AITP National Collegiate Conference is the single largest event produced by AITP annually and was yet another huge success! Granted, we didn't set any attendance records due to the continued downturn in the IT economy, the outbreak of war in Iraq and the challenges many of our student chapters and members had in fundraising so as to be able to attend the event. We did, however, have excellent event sponsorships from both Robert Half Technology and Microsoft which greatly raised the profile and support for the conference. A total of 561 students and faculty registered to attend the conference. Contest events sponsors included both AITP's and ICCP's Education Foundation, State Farm Insurance, Wal-Mart Stores, Inc and MicroFocus.

The Purdue University student chapter did an "extraordinary” job of following the excellent example set by the Kansas City DeVry University student chapter last year and also served in the absence of an area AITP professional chapter. Nothing as exciting as Vice President Cheney's appearance at the conference hotel like last year but we did have snow flurries on Saturday, damaging winds and a "Boiler Beach Bash” to welcome the conference attendees to the Greater Lafayette Area planned and produced by the Purdue University AITP student chapter.

Both keynoters, J. Bruce Harreld, IBM Senior Vice President of Strategy and Dave Willmer, Regional Manager with Robert Half Technology (and also the Columbus Ohio AITP professional chapter president), did superb jobs in getting the conference off to a super start daily. The best lineup of breakout speakers and topics, most contest events ever, an Internet Café, scavenger hunt, student banner contest and tons of fun-n-networking all came together creating a super conference experience for all in attendance. The conference concluded with the annual awards banquet feeding 622 registrants and guests representing 84 colleges and universities from all over the country ended "almost” on time (9:15pm) due to the announcement of the Kevin Jetton AITP Service Scholarship by AITP's Education Foundation and was a total shock to Kevin - the conference director - who has played a key role in all of 8 of the AITP National Collegiate Conferences and other AITP events at the national, regional and local chapter level throughout his AITP tenured membership dating back to 1978. Conference chairman Jeff Brewer, Purdue University conference co-chairs Leslie Lorenz & Chantelle Huguena and the Purdue University AITP student chapter conference committee did an excellent job throughout the conference.

Planning has already started for the 9th annual AITP National Collegiate Conference to be held in Omaha, Nebraska April 1-3, 2004 and multiple Omaha area AITP student chapters will serve as co-hosts. Bids are also being accepted for future AITP National Collegiate Conferences for the year 2005 and beyond.

AITP Student Web Application Contest sponsored by the ICCP Education Foundation*15 submissions of which 6 were declared finalists1st Boise State University2nd University of Alaska - Anchorage3rd University of Wisconsin - WhitewaterHM's: Kalamazoo Valley Community CollegeStark State CollegeChattahoochee Technical College